HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 17 - Lobbying Firm
MAYOR & COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
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DATE: 8/06/2013
REGULAR ITEM #: 17
AGENDA ITEM: Consider Hiring Representation from a Lobbying Firm for a $2.6M State
Bonding Request
SUBMITTED BY: Beckie Gumatz, Program Assistant
THROUGH: Dean Zuleger, City Administrator
REVIEWED BY: Dean Zuleger, City Administrator
Adam Bell, City Clerk
SUGGESTED ORDER OF BUSINESS (if removed from Consent):
- Introduction of Item .......................................................................... City Administrator
- Report/Presentation ................................................................................. Mayor Pearson
- Questions from Council to Staff ......................................................... Mayor Facilitates
- Public Input, if Appropriate ................................................................ Mayor Facilitates
- Call for Motion ........................................................................... Mayor & City Council
- Discussion ................................................................................... Mayor & City Council
- Action on Motion ................................................................................ Mayor Facilitates
SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUESTED: The City of Lake Elmo City Council is respectfully requested to confer with City Staff and consider hiring a lobbyist to help facilitate discussion and foster support for the City’s $2.6M state bonding request at the state legislature during the 2014 legislative session. The recommended motion for this action is as follows:
“Move to hire representation from the Law Firm ‘Mersserli & Kramer’ to help
represent the City and its bonding request at the state legislature for the 2014 legislative session.” BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Messerli & Kramer is a firm of attorneys and lobbyists
with over 200 years of experience before the Minnesota state legislature. They are a bipartisan firm and have represented a variety of major corporations, trade associations, nonprofits, local governments, and single issue clients. They also have had tremendous success representing local governments on economic development projects and bonding requests.
City Staff reached out to Messerli & Kramer to inquire about what services they could provide to the City. They are open to providing council for the City and have recommended that James Clark serve as lead counsel on the City’s behalf. James Clark is a former State Representative and knows the state legislature very well. He has worked on and secured bonding appropriations
for the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit and the Children’s Theatre expansion.
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STAFF REPORT: City Staff recommends hiring a lobbyist to help secure our $2.6M bonding
request at the state legislature. Having a lobbyist who knows how the legislature works, as well as has good relationships with members on both sides of the aisle will be extremely beneficial when trying to get the City’s bonding request into the bonding bill. Lobbyists meet with legislators, prepare remarks for committee, line up testifiers, and will be on hand during all
committee meetings and floor sessions regarding our bonding proposal. Having an advocate in
the building would make it much more likely that our request be incorporated into the bonding bill. RECOMMENDATION: City Staff recommends hiring a lobbyist to help facilitate discussion
and foster support for the City’s $2.6M state bonding request at the state legislature during the
2014 legislative session:
“Move to hire representation from the Law Firm ‘Mersserli & Kramer’ to help represent the City and its bonding request at the state legislature for the 2014 legislative session.”.”